Exercising while traveling doesn't have to feel like a chore. REDBOOK's Health Editor has three easy ways to fit in fitness while on vacation.

As the health editor for REDBOOK, I'm always looking for ways to stay active on vacation (it's basically part of my job description) so that I can tell all of you about them. First, I should confess: I've gone through periods of being so neurotic about exercise, that I would be That Girl on vacation who finds herself in some dark, soggy, basement gym in a hotel while everyone else was outside… you know, on vacation! I mistakenly thought chaining myself to an elliptical machine was the only way to return from a getaway without a five-pound souvenir on my thighs.

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I've since (happily!) discovered that staying healthy on vacation doesn't have to mean depriving myself of fun, play, and enjoyment. So here are my personal rules for exercising when I travel:

1. If you wouldn't do it for fun, don't do it for fitness.

Even if my personal "Things I Find Fun" list were 1,000 items long, you would not find the word treadmill anywhere on it. Not even at 999 or 1,000. A hike? Perhaps. Sailing? Aye, aye! But a treadmill? Nope. So I tend to avoid hotel gyms unless there's something novel or refreshing about them. Otherwise, I'll just resent that I'm working out, which won't make me want to do it the next day. One hotel I've visited that got the fitness studio thing right is The Body Holiday LeSport, a resort on the northern tip of St. Lucia. They offer lots of wellness activities but you never, ever forget you're on a tropical island (even their spinning studio overlooks treetops!).

2. If you're near a body of water, make like a fish.

I'm a beach girl by nature, so any chance I get to skip town, that's usually where I choose to go. This means, of course, that I have the world's biggest swimming pool—the ocean—at my feet. Swimming uses so many of the body's muscles, plus there's the built-in stretching component you get with every stroke. You can burn over 300 calories doing it for just a half hour. That's all great, but the biggest perk for me is that I always emerge from a swim with a sense of well-being that can carry me through the entire day. And isn't that sense of well-being the whole point of going on vacation in the first place? Win-win.

3. If all else fails, do yoga.

Here's the great thing about yoga: The only prop you really need is you. Sure, a yoga mat helps (and this amazing travel mat by Manduka always goes with me), but in a pinch, you can do a downward dog, a plank, and a few sun salutations, anytime, anywhere. Not to mention, these days, yoga classes offered at hotels are as common as room service. The benefit of doing yoga on vacation isn't just the toning; it's also the unkinking (think of all those knots you develop on the plane). Beyond that, yoga is associated with mindful eating. On a recent getaway to the Gansevoort Hotel in Turks and Caicos, I took a yoga class in their open-air studio right before dinner, and I noticed that I ate my meal more slowly, I took breaths in between bites, and—get this—I was satisfied with less.

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There is nothing better than a night swim on vacation. I like to hit the pool about a half hour before it closes, which usually means I have it all to myself and can swim laps without needing to dodge anyone. Here's the outdoor pool at the Gansevoort in Turks and Caicos—pretty dreamy, right?

I'd love to know: How do you stay active on vacation? Or do you give yourself a break and permission to do nothing when you go away?

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